Introducing AppExchange Partner Console — now available!

There’s a new development in the Salesforce^® world that is very important for ISVs: AppExchange Partner Console is now available. But what is AppExchange Partner Console and how will it benefit you? I’ll reveal all the important information in this article.  

Transforming the AppExchange publishing experience 

Made generally available to AppExchange Partners on May 16th, 2023, AppExchange Partner Console is a new, central place for ISVs to manage all the products they offer on AppExchange. It provides an “easy, intuitive, and transparent publishing experience”, as Salesforce puts it, intended to help ISVs and their PDO partners — such as VRP Consulting — bring products to market, and to the right customers, faster than ever. 

In the past, some ISVs have found the following matters challenging:

• Creating their AppExchange listing
• Navigating the Security Review process
• Keeping track of their AppExchange journey 
• Providing customers with pricing transparency
• Measuring and improving their listing’s success 

How is AppExchange Partner Console going to help with all of these? Let’s take a look now. 

Easier publishing to accelerate time to market

AppExchange Partner Console revolutionizes the AppExchange listing approval process, with guided prompts and step-by-step instructions. That means navigating listing creation and the Security Review is much more intuitive and faster. In fact, Salesforce says that all of this can “accelerate your time to market by 20-30%” — amazing news for ISVs who would like to speed up the product roadmap (i.e., every ISV). 

This new, guided process also provides alerts and validations at every stage, so you know precisely what the status is and what needs to be done. For instance, if your app’s Security Review has been performed, you will be told directly within the AppExchange Partner Console. Or, if further approvals are needed before your listing can be created or updated, you’ll find out there, too. All this means greater visibility and never having to wonder “OK, what’s next?”

Providing pricing transparency to customers

Previously, some ISVs have found it difficult to provide their customers with a clear, readily-available picture of their product’s pricing models. How does AppExchange Partner Console remedy that? It provides a guided, flexible way to select a pricing model that best fits an app — e.g., paid, freemium, free, or as a paid add-on.

AppExchange Partner Console also allows ISVs to give customers greater transparency into what will or won’t be charged for. You can now add multiple pricing plans, along with their names and descriptions. This new, richer level of content means customers can gain better insight into your offering, so they can make more informed decisions, improving their trust in your brand as a result. It’s also a great way to help customers find out about new features. 

Increasing your listing’s effectiveness

Creating your AppExchange listing is one thing — making sure the right potential customers see it is another. If you can target your listing more effectively, you can give it a better chance of success, and AppExchange Partner Console helps you do that. You can now narrow down your audience by providing details such as the desired user personas (e.g., admin or marketer), possible use cases and industries your solution is suitable for. 

As well as increasing awareness and demand for your product, ISVs can now also gain a greater understanding of marketing efforts’ success. You can do this by inspecting your listing’s performance data, easily accessible via the AppExchange Partner Console’s homepage. With this information on hand, ISVs are able to better understand what’s working, what isn’t, and direct their efforts accordingly. 

Ready to get started with AppExchange Partner Console? 

I’ve covered some of the most important capabilities here, but they’re not all AppExchange Partner Console offers. You can also use it to access Trialforce and set up free trials to demonstrate your app to sales prospects, accessible in just a few clicks, and taking place on a real Salesforce org, with real data. AppExchange Partner Console can also be connected with Salesforce License Management App (LMA) and Partner Ordering App (PO) to streamline license management and make it as easy as possible. 

AppExchange Partner Console offers all kinds of great new possibilities and I hope this article has helped you understand some of them. If you’re an ISV, now’s the time to think: “what is AppExchange Partner Console going to help my business to do?” As a Salesforce PDO Expert Navigator Partner — one of only a select few in the world — VRP Consulting would be glad to assist you in making the most of this powerful new tool. With over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem, and over 100 apps developed for our clients, we can help you create, publish and maintain your product. From speeding your app to the market, to supporting your growth and your product’s evolution, we can ensure you’re harnessing the full potential of everything that’s available to you. 

So, please get in touch if you’d like to discuss anything you’ve read here, or explore how VRP Consulting can help you. 

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About the Author

Dmitry Zhugin

Regional Chief Technology Officer, VRP Consulting

Dmitry is a Regional CTO of VRP Consulting. He is an established software specialist with over 10 years of experience in Salesforce Architecture and a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA).